Homeland Security Chief's Priority: Domestic 'Violent Extremism'

A priority at the Department of Homeland Security in protecting the nation is to address the threat of domestic "violent extremism," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on his 100th day in office.

Toward that effort, Johnson told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday that his department would conduct a series of outreach programs to help counter domestic terror threats.

"This is a priority. And I actually plan to personally participate in one or two of these programs in the next month or two," he said.

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Johnson explained the mission of his department is to be "vigilant in assessing a number of different types of risks to our homeland." He said that included the possibility of a nuclear attack in Manhattan, as President Barack Obama raised as a concern at a news conference March 25.

"Nuclear detection is part of our mission. We have a directorate devoted to it," he said. "It's one of many risks that we at Homeland Security are vigilant in continually evaluating and preventing."

A priority at the Department of Homeland Security in protecting the nation is to address the threat of domestic "violent extremism," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on his 100th day in office.